


Hit The Ground First To Get Back Up

by WrittenInCinnamon



Category: Transformers - All Media Types
Genre: Brotherly Love, Feels, Gen, Implied/Referenced Severe Injury, Mental Health Issues, Relationship Issues, Talking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-16
Updated: 2021-02-16
Packaged: 2021-03-18 21:00:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,128
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29496210
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WrittenInCinnamon/pseuds/WrittenInCinnamon
Summary: Loved ones are like health, it turns out - you realise how much it's needed only once it is threatened to disappear forever.Or, in a less poetic way, Thundercracker had gotten seriously injured in battle. Skywarp and Starscream have to get through the night, somehow, waiting for the news if their older brother will even survive. Their relationship hasn't been too good though, so maybe scraping the very bottom of the barrel would be what just what they need?
Relationships: Skywarp & Starscream & Thundercracker (Transformers)
Kudos: 17





	Hit The Ground First To Get Back Up

The scenery was eerie. 

Dark tiles on the floors and walls. Half-finished projects and used up tools lying haphazardly all over the lab tables. Actual trash crumpled up and squeezed into the corners or under tables.

The blasted flickering lightbulb he had already requested to be replaced half a vorn ago!

And, of course, one (1) seeker, lone inside. Pretending to work, while really just trying not to think at all. Maybe even moping, but he would never admit that.

Skywarp, though, had no respect for privacy and instead of knocking or even entering through the door, he just 'vopped' in. He took one look around the place, then at the uniquely quiet scientist and muttered "So you can't sleep either, huh?"

Even saying it was just a formality. Like it or not, they knew when their brothers were awake. When they were sad, angry, happy (provided they weren't blocking stubbornly). When they were alive. Starscream made another quick check to make sure that, yes, there are still three of them.

The fact that it also made him catch his conscious mate's irritation instantaniously pushed him over the edge though.

"Why in the Pit would I be able to. Thundercracker's in stasis lick and Primus knows when, or even if at all, he wakes up!" he sneered, wings hiked with anger. And Skywarp could feel all of it tonight. He would not be blocking them on the chance he misses their third waking up. Or fading. And that anger, accompanied by the complete lack of omission of what they fear most right now, sent them inyo another uncomfortable silence.

Starscream would not say it out loud, he hadn't in almost 2 million vorns by now, but he did care if his trinemates lived. And not just for the nightmare of finding someone else to cooperate with if they were to die. There was some sort of attachment there, however stashed away into nooks and crannies of his spark it was.

And he could clearly tell Skywarp felt the same. Mainly about Thundercracker ('I will be so lost and alone without him.'), but there was some towards the third seeker, too.

Their optics locked as they listened to eachother's musings, eerie silence restored.

"So," Skywarp sighed, breaking the atmosphere once more. "You gonna cover for TC as big brother for tonight?"

Starscream's traitorous processor supplied him with sparklinghood memories involving the blue seeker cuddling his younger kin. Primus damn it all.

He only sighed in response and stepped towards the teleporter as sign of silent agreement.

They marched towards the trine's quarters (Starscream hadn't slept there in some time) in silence and in similiar state they lied down on the bed meant for three.

The middle brother wrapped one of his servos around the younger, sort of spooning him awkwardly. He hoped it was at least the same level of uncomfortable as alone, and not more.

Neither of them were able to sleep, still.

Every time Starscream let his processor slip from carefully analyzing the situation, it was overflood with paranoid visions of either Shockwave deciding he could experiment on a comatose mech. Or Megatron figuring it's not worth the resources to keep the seeker alive, charging up his fusion cannon, as it hummed threateningly, right over the spark chamber, just about to and perfectly capable of extinguishing--

"Your mess of a psyche would be pitiable, were it not making you an aft," Skywarp grumbled. Starscream's taloons curled possessively on the younger mech's cockpit.

"Thank your oh-so-dear mighty Lord Megatron," he hissed. He hated the old fool.

"Not this again," the teleporter sighed irritatedly. "Lord Megatron is an admirable revolutionary. He promised us a better future. You used to say so yourself."

"Used to! Past tense!" he shrieked and almost, almost got up. But he didn't like the idea of being all alone again. So he lied back down, hesitantly. Look, here he was, staying for his little brother and the idiot praised that jerk Megatron. He hated the old fool. That mech had ruined him. It's his fault, everything's his fault! The fragging brute ruined his life and he had to, really really had to, get revenge and he had to get rid of the bucketaft and he had to kill him, kill kill kill kill--

"Screamer?" Skywarp's voice was meek and seemed almost scared. Skywarp so very rarely admitted to fear. It was unusual enough to snap Starscream out of it. They looked at eachother blindly for a nanoklik. "These are intrusive, aren't they?" It wasn't even a question. The other had heard all of it. He sighed, his optics looking downright sad. Sadder. "Look, Screamy, I have no idea what's going on with you recently. But you are still our trine and brother. You can tell us. And even if I'll be an idiot about it, TC will listen, surely." He winced as he said the last part. Thundercracker would, indeed, listen. If he was conscious right now. He probably would've been relieved his brothers are getting along again at last. The blue seeker had seemingly unending reserves of love for the both of them, even when they were an idiot and an afthead respectively. 

Starscream avoided optic-contact. He couldn't look at it, because as long as he didn't, he could convince himself Skywarp has just gotten better at lying. They knew this scrapheap cannot be repaired by now. No fragging way. Therefore he should tactfully ignore the confession. Really. Absolutely. No doubt.

He looked anyway.

And Skywarp's optics and spark were full of hope and- and longing.

It melted Starscream's spark.

"We can try," he muttered to the unspoken proposition. Skywarp quirked a corner of his lips. He was still a cute sparkling somewhere deep down. He gripped Starscream's servo and squeezed, to which Starscream squeezed back.

"I will protect you two to the best of my ability. Even if I sometimes don't seem to be. Okay?" Starscream whispered, and damn, it might be the softest thought he voiced in vorns. Skywarp nodded, his own voicebox seemingly failing him.

And with an equivalant of just pouring anti-septic on a wound without doing much else, they mutually decided to try to recharge now. This really doesn't repair much between them per se. But it does halt it getting worse. They'd settle for that for now.

They almost succeeded in recharging, when they both received a comm from Hook.

.:Processor, spark chamber and main fuel lines are all stable. He will live.:.

The two almost cried in relief. So instead, they laughed. Of course they just worried needlessly. Thundercracker is a tough cog to break. No doubt he'll be smug about making them both go so soft just like that in no time.

It would get better.

**Author's Note:**

> As much as I like Elite Trine as a romantic thing, sometimes I love them as brothers as well. Thundercracker is obviously the oldest, responsible one, who inevitably took the role of taking care of his idiots. So of course, when he is the one to get hurt, shit hits the fan.
> 
> Anyway, I needed to get some sadness out of my system so here ya go, hope it was enjoyable! ^^


End file.
